Reviews with content warning for Abandonment - Axiom's End

This is YA. That’s not a positive or negative judgement, just an observation. It wasn’t marketed as YA fiction as far as I recall but that is absolutely how it reads – a college-age protagonist who needs to learn a lesson or two about responsibility, an intermittently-relevant family, awkward romance, drama, angst, queer rep, etc. I enjoyed it but I can see I’m not the target audience.

Also,

I feel like a lot more could have been done with the fact that Ampersand’s knowledge of Earth culture was hundreds of years out of date. He could have spoken Middle English, for example. The point was that he thought humans were violent and backwards, owing to the fervent religious fundamentalism and purges he witnessed in the wake of the Black Death. But then that seems kind of unnecessary, because we’d already seen him horrified by humans eating meat – there was no need to invoke medieval atrocities when there are already aspects of modern life which he finds abhorrent.

This may seem nitpicky but it’s superfluous details like this that end up making the book at least a hundred pages longer than it needed to be. Thankfully, the quick pace prevented the story from feeling like a slog.

I’d recommend Axiom’s End to fans of Stephenie Meyer’s The Host. It has a similar vibe.

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nulliusmomenti's review against another edition

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adventurous reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

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gwendolynaudrey_reads's review against another edition

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adventurous tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

This book is clearly an entry point into a much more complex series. It moves quickly, synthesizes 2000s pop culture and political intrigue, and is inspired by classic adventure stories like "Men in Black" and honestly, even "Beauty and the Beast." The main character is a blank slate type young girl character. She is loveable, and her decisions are logical based on her age and background, but she isn't exactly the most complex of characters (yet). I love the diverse set of characters we are introduced to who promise to be important later (an absent Julian Assange father figure, a complicated CIA agent, an alternative, linguist but jealous "cool aunt," - not to mention ALIENS.) AND I love how Ellis never lets you breath.

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forthesanityof1's review

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adventurous emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This had me hooked from the first chapter all the way to the end. First contact is always interesting but this concept really had me personally invested in reading as much as I could in each sitting. While there are some flaws I'll talk about, it was so enjoyable and refreshing that it deserved 5 stars without a doubt.

I loved the MC, she was relatable without drifting too far away from the narrative. Additionally, there were times where she was so painfully human and reflected an experience I had also personally experienced that I literally had to set my book down and take a breath. I've never seen those parts of me in a book before and I loved how it was handled. Empathy and understanding in the narrative even if characters didn't understand her actions.

The plot was super interesting if a bit messy at some points (most of my gripes are about the plot) and difficult to follow. The actual family dynamics I felt were supposed to have a lot of impact and did at some points but got lost behind the plot-heavy focus. I have a feeling it will come up in the rest of the series and I'm interested to see how it plays out.

The actual aliens themselves were so freaking cool. I loved the development of them and how we learned their world along with the MC. They were unique and stood out among the few other alien based stories I've read. None can touch this one. I also adored seeing how both the MC and the alien got along with each other and how that relationship evolved into something so intriguing. The soft moments really got to me and I'm borderline desperate for the next book.

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stormywolf's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Audiobook Read by Abigail Thorn & Stephanie Willis
Unabridged Length: 16 Hours
Listened at 2.25x Speed

Read my full review at The Wolf's Den

Overall, I thought this audio successfully juggled the best of both worlds: utilizing two readers added some uniqueness to things, while the one-reader structure of Cora's story maintained familiarity. As some names and terms were unfamiliar (a common trait in sci-fi), the audio pronunciations were definitely appreciated. Though it took a little time for me to find the cadence, even at more than double speed there's still plenty of Cora's attitude coming through the narration. Seeing that the next book is adding a third reader into the mix, I'm excited to see how things progress and change, and not just in the story!

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pineapplesurvivor's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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slimy's review

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adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

2007
Aliens
Snowden
Empathy
Who has a right to know the truth?

This is such an intelligent, well-written book; surprisingly witty, charming in unexpected ways, accessible to someone who doesn’t read a lot of sci-fi.

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pourrir's review against another edition

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adventurous fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

I barely liked this book, and if I hadn't been listening as an audiobook, at work, I probably would not have finished it. The writing is very reminiscent of fanfiction, and while I like a good fic every once in a while, I want more out of published works. The descriptions were too repetitive, the plot twists predictable, the plot and scenes went by way too fast. The dialogue was strange and for a book with a large focus on inter-species communication, none of the characters spoke like normal humans. I had no sympathy or care for any of the characters besides

Ampersand

. One part that drove me crazy in particular was when Ellis kept using the term "sneaked out" in the past tense when it so clearly should have been "snuck out". The first isn't technically incorrect, but is so uncommon that it immediately took me out of the story.

Sidenote:

I had high hopes for this book once I saw the romance developing, but the rest of the story ruined the alien romance aspect

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